SRI LANKAN CRICKETER'S XI NAMES
Sri Lankan cricketer Ranjith Amunugama probably seldom signs autograph
books or souvenir bats with his full name. It's Amunugama Rajapakse Rajakaruna
Abeykoon Panditha Wasalamudiyanse Ralahamilage Ranjith Krishantha Bandara
Amunugama. So he boasts 11 initials - an appropriate number for a member of
a cricket XI, but a headache for scorekeepers and newspapers.
In the preface to the 2004 edition of the cricketers' bible, the
Wisden Almanack, editor Matthew Engel writes, "With ten initials [11
counting the surname] he has now established a commanding lead over his
nearest rival, A. K. T. D. G. L. A. S. de Silva (I won't spell it out, if
you don't mind: I'm getting tired) and the leading international player W.
P. U. J. C. Vaas.
"This is an area where England used to fancy it could hold its own with
any other cricketing country, but such stars of yesteryear as J. W. H. T.
Douglas, M. E. J. C. Norman and R. I. H. B. Dyer have long been eclipsed by
these ex-colonial upstarts. Only the Essex newcomer A. G. A. M. McCoubrey
carries on the tradition - and he's Irish."
The full name of a Fijian batsman, Ilikena Lasarusa Bula, usually referred
to as I. L. Bula, has been recorded as I. L.
Talebulamainavaleniveivakabulaimainakulalakebalau (48 letters). He played in
first-class matches from 1947 to 1954, and achieved the highest score in
Fijian cricket - 246.
We searched the internet for the reason why so many Sri Lankans (not only
cricketers) have such long names. The answer seems to lie in an article
written by Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema in the Colombo (Sri Lanka) Sunday
Leader:
Many parents seek to name their children with uncommon names. While
some tend to use simple but beautiful names, others tend to use long
names, considered by some as tongue twisters. Surprisingly, since of
late, many Sri Lankan parents have resorted to giving their children
Indian names.
However, many Asian countries give prominence to nakshastra rulings
when naming babies - planetary positions along with the date of birth
play an important role in finally determining what the baby will be
called.
Once an astrologer comes out with several letters, the parents are
left with the task of finding names beginning with those letters, which
are in some cases unimaginable. This could be the root cause of
incomprehensible names.
The complete article makes entertaining reading. You can find it by clicking
HERE.
